Apple's Lock-in
The much discussed topic about Apple.
Hey Bheem,
Apple recently launched its new set of iPhones, iPhone 11. The whole month is spent by a community of enthusiasts covering the anticipation, launch event and the review of products. Looking at all of this I wanted to write to you about the killer advantage that Apple has which other companies don’t : Apple’s Lock-In.
Quite a lot of people have already written about the ecosystem lock-in of Apple. All the points to be covered about various dynamics have already been written at some point of time. Yet, the question that no one answers is 'Why is Apple discussed so much?’
Is it a cult following that it has achieved thanks to its founder, Steve jobs. Or, is it because of them inventing the desirable touchscreen mobile phone that changed the way we communicate and consume media in the current world.
Also, no company has been called the pinnacle of design and in the same breath accused of being elitist. No company is talked, discussed and dissected all through yet has such small market shares across the world. No company can keep a troupe of writers, journalists and independent creators hooked on to its platform by divulging so little to the outside world, Apple is famous to not reveal much to the media.
Apple : Lock-In Scenario
Apple is a vertically intgrated company, i.e, it alone is responsible for the hardware, software and sales of its devices. Apple has been a leading innovator in software, marketing and privacy. Many companies try to copy or replicate parts of Apple's ethos.
Typically when lock-in is mentioned, it is correlated with two things, one about iMessages and how it kind of makes it difficult to shift to other OEM devices as iMessages only works with iPhones.
And, the second one keeps changing. At one point it can be about any of these : ease of use, software experience, privacy and premium components.
They all sound very logical for us to agree with but these cases don’t hold strong in countries like India, Brazil and China.
Recently, The-Ken came out with an article where they were reporting the lack of Apple’s presence in Indian markets has left the entire field to be dominated by One-plus , a Chinese smartphone maker. The import tariffs and lack of understanding of price sensitivity has left Apple only controlling a very small market share in the premium mobile segment. But with the current onset of 1 billion investment for building their devices in India, Apple is slowly but surely dragging its feet to address the next biggest overseas market next to China.
The investment in India signals that Apple is looking to subvert the import tariffs to make it's lineup of products price sensitive to the needs of the developing market. It is essential for Apple to take all of these steps until it comes with a new device that would change the world again. What is it going to be is everyones guess.
Even with such minute market share Apple continues to have a lock-in with its base. The reason behind the lock-in is the biggest asset that it has developed and can be termed as an innovation on itself.
Apple should be credited with building a community of commentators and enthusiasts who spend multiple hours on their dime covering Apple frantically through every angle.
Apple may be known as a pioneer in device production. But, it is often overlooked about the community it created around it. And how it keeps involving this community, shall we call them influencers, year in and year out. It is not a cult status, if it was, it would not have sustained for this long. The people and publications covering Apple are doing the service of explaining the strategy, utility and new innovations on behalf of Apple for the larger audience.
Why do people cover Apple ?
It has a proven track record of putting out premium quality products time and time again. It is always stuck to its gun about privacy. It has always led the narrative and has a rich history to back it up. People associate their identities through their phones and they take immense sense of pleasure in owning one. And most importantly, it listens to this community of influencers. It take feedback seriously and rewards people with much better products for their own use.
I own Apple devices, they have their flaws and their vulnerabilities. But the loyalty that is generates in you is not something any other company has successfully emulated till now.
Many have tried but couldn’t sustain it for long. Many others have tired to brow beat this community, like the recent New York Times Article complaining about the events that the company puts out as keynotes. But the community rallied around the company and emphatically rebutting everything mentioned in the the off hand op-ed piece. Here is the best rebuttal from one of the most senior commentators on Apple, John Gruber.
To sum it all up, the lock - in with Apple doesn’t start with its service . Nor Is it about their premium grade products but it is essentially about the community surrounding and influencing Apple to have better products for all of us.
Duologue is an effort by Vivek and Bheem to have a dialogue about varying topics.
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